IRISH PRONUNCIATION GUIDE


a		ah		bean		(ban)		woman
á		aw/aa		bán		(bawn)		white
ái		aoy		báisteach	(baoy-shtuhk)	shower/rain
e		eh		eagla		(eg-la)	fear
é,éi, éa,	ay/ae		éadach		(ay-duhk)	clothes/cloth
i, ei, io,	ih		imigh		(emmy)		leave/go away
í		ee		cailín		(ka-leen)	girl
u		uh		muc		(muck)		pig
ú, úi		oo/ew		rún		(roon)		secret
o, oi		oe		doirteal	(dor-chel)	sink
ó, ói		ooh		sólás		(su-laas)	comfort



C 	sounds like K
C	following e or i, sounds like KY or thank_you. As in ceol (kyeol) music.
Ch	at the end of a world sounds like a strong German h sound like in gach (gakh) every.
Ch	at the beginning of a word becomes a breathy he sound. Like
	bean chéile sounds like Ban (c)he-ail-la  wife.

D	with a slender vowel sounds like jah
D 	with a broad  vowel sounds like duh
Dh	sounds like yeh
Dha 	sounds like yah or a (breathy) Dhá sounds like ghaa
Dho	sound like yoh or a (breathy) Dhó sounds like ghoe
Dhu	sounds like yuh or a (breathy) Dhú sounds like ghoo
De	sound like juh or somewhere in between joe and doe like in
	hog jowl (for example) Forever go deo sounds like guh joe.

Fh	is silent and not pronounced as in fhuinneog (in-yoag) as in window
Ph	f sound as in phoist (fwisht) as in mail
Gh	yuh or guh sound as in gheobhaidh (yoh-whee) as in will get
Bh	vuh sound or wuh sound as in bhealach (va-luhk) as in a path or dubh (duv) black
V	fuh sound
Mh	whu sound at the begining of a word and an oo or u sound at the end of a word as in 
	mhaith (whoi or whah) as in good. And folamh (fuloo or fuloov) as in empty.
Ge	gy sound as in geal (gyal) as in bright
Li	ly sound as in liom (lyum) as in with me
Le	ly sound as in leat (lyat) as in with you
S 	sh sound but sc (sk), sf (s'fuh), sm (s'muh), sp (s'puh), st (s'tuh)
	do not have sh sound. But these do... sin (shin) as in that or
	Seo (shuh) as in this.

Abh	aw sound or av
Obh	ow sound or ov
Ubh	uw sound or uv	
Aidh	eye sound or ee or eyg
Aigh	eye sound 
Amh	ow sound 
Ann	ng sound at end of word
nne	yuh sound in the middle of a word as in fuinneog (fwinyoag) as in window.
Ach	ukh sound at the end of a word
Ní	ee sound or (nyee) as in not or daughter of...
Ion	een sound
Ao	ee or ay sound as in saol (seel) or (sayl) as in life
Ts	ch sound
Egh	ey sound
Iu	oo sound
Dh	oo (breathy) sound at the end of a word as in tuilleadh (chiloo(h) as in more
A	uh sound at the end of a word like banaltra (banaltr-ah) as in nurse
T	before e or i sounds like ch like in teo (cheo) warm or tine (chin-ah) fire
Th	beginning a word sounds like h sound as in thugamar (huga-mur) as is we gave.